PANAJI
Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president and Delhi’s ‘oxygen man’ Srinivas B V, who became the go-to person for oxygen supplies for relatives of Covid patients and even for the national capital’s diplomatic missions during the second Covid wave, was among around 40 persons who were arrested in Panaji on Tuesday for marching to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s residence in Panaji to protest against rising prices and unemployment.
Srinivas, who was in Goa to chair a national executive of the IYC over the last two days, was accosted by the police near Azad maidan, along with top IYC executives, as well as state Youth Congress President Varad Mardolkar, Goa Congress Working President Aleixo Sequeira and Congress General Secretary Janardhan Bhandari.
South Goa District President Joe Dias was amongst the congress leaders and workers arrested by the police.
State Congress President Girish Chodankar and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat have condemned the lathi charge as well as the arrest of Congress workers, for what they claim was merely articulating the angst against the government policies as well as pressing popular issues in the state and the country.
“The Chaturthi is around the corner and there is no financial package announced by the government, even as people have lost jobs, their businesses are down and there is an astronomical price rise,” Chodankar said. “LPG price has reached nearly Rs 900 now. Increase in petrol and diesel prices has resulted in an increase in other prices too. But this government has only attacked peaceful protesters because the RSS, the BJP and the CM cannot tolerate questions,” Chodankar said, adding that the Chief Minister was scared of facing the people.
The IYC had staged a protest at Azad Maidan on Tuesday morning and were later scheduled to stage a protest march to the official residence of the Chief Minister, ‘Mahalaxmi’, when they were confronted by the police, which led to a lathi charge and the arrests.
“The Congress and Indian Youth Congress office-bearers had decided to stage a morcha to CM’s house. It was a silent agitation. But when the workers were stepping out for the march, the police stopped him. Police ordered lathi-charge without reason and arrested our top leaders,” Kamat said.
